Lot details
Registration No: OBL 45F
Chassis No: CA2S7/1012033A
Mot Expiry: Jan 2009

In common with most of its Competitions Department siblings, a surviving green logbook shows that 'OBL 45F' was first registered to the MG Car Co Ltd's Abingdon Works on September 27th 1967. Despite a string of outright and class victories that year (including the Monte Carlo, Swedish, Circuit of Ireland, Acropolis, Geneva, 1,000 Lakes and Alpine Rallies), the Mini Cooper S was coming under increasing pressure from younger, more powerful designs such as the Porsche 911S and Alpine-Renault A110 - not to mention the upcoming Ford Escort 'Twin Cam'. A frustrating season, 1968 not only saw Abingdon sacrifice reliability for speed but also the beginnings of The British Motor Corporation's transmogrification into British Leyland.

Keen to rationalise costs, the chairman of the new regime - Sir Donald Stokes - decreed that the Competitions Department switch its attention from international rallying to domestic circuit racing during 1969 (though, he allowed work to continue on the 1800 'Landcrabs' being prepared for the London-Sydney Marathon). The arrival of an official Works Team to contest the British Saloon Car Championship as well as selected rounds of the European Saloon Car Championship was a double-blow to the Cooper Car Co and British Vita Racing. Denied the levels of factory assistance they had earlier enjoyed, the two privateer outfits also lost John Rhodes (1965-1968 BSCC 1300cc class champion) and John Handley (1968 ESCC 1000cc class champion) to Abingdon.

Adapting from one discipline to the other surprisingly quickly, the Works engineers and mechanics prepared two cars for the Race of Champions Meeting - Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch on March 16th 1969. Driven by Handley and Rhodes respectively, 'OBL 45F' and 'OBL 46F' are thought but not guaranteed to have run with the same split Weber carburettor set-up that caused such controversy on the 1968 Monte Carlo Rally (however, there is no documentation on file to substantiate this belief). Sadly, both cars were involved in heavy accidents and had to retire before their true pace could be shown. Sidelined for some six months, a resurrected 'OBL 45F' made its second and final Works outing on the September 18th-26th 1969 Tour de France Automobile.

Classified as a rally, the nine-day event featured races at the Nurburgring, Spa, Rheims, Rouen, Le Mans, Magny Cours, Auvergne, Albi and Nogaro plus some ten hillclimbs.
Contesting Group 1 (Touring) and Group 2&5 (Special Touring), Abingdon fielded two additional Mini Cooper S entries. Thus, while 'OBL 45F' (Gp 2&5) was driven by Paddy Hopkirk / Tony Nash, 'URX 550G' (Gp 1) and 'URX 560G' (Gp 2&5) were piloted by Brian Culcheth / Johnstone Syer and John Handley / Paul Easter respectively. Although benefiting from a more powerful (if temperamental) fuel-injected unit, Hopkirk / Nash were hampered for much of the event by a broken valve spring that was slowly making its way through the engine / gearbox assembly. Restricted to 7,000rpm, they nevertheless managed to keep pace with the similarly lightweight 'URX 560G' as well as enjoying a lengthy battle with J-F Piot / J-P Behra's BP-liveried Ford Capri V6 and G.Verrier / B. Pompanon's Alfa Romeo GTA.

Despite being described by Motoring News as "a distinctly sick sounding dog kennel" from about Magny Cours onwards, 'OBL 45F' refused to expire. Though, it came close on the Col du Minier stage with the magazine commenting that "there was no peace for the British Leyland mechanics who had to repair a broken dynamo bracket on the fuel-injected Mini just after the climb. They got the job done with just enough time for Paddy to make the next road control in time, only for the Mini to grind to a halt with a nut undone at the bottom of a front wishbone. Hopkirk and Nash fixed it in 25 minutes but that was 25 minutes gone, costing the British pair ten places in the overall classification".

Perhaps inspired by the news that its healthier (and therefore faster) Gp 2&5 team mate 'URX 560G' had crashed out on the Tourmalet hillclimb, 'OBL 45F' attacked the last day's racing with gusto. Determined to make up for lost time and places, its performance again drew the admiration of Motoring News: "Dredging some real thrills out of a somewhat lame closing stage, Hopkirk left the line at Nogaro in determined fashion only to trail into the pits at the end of the first lap to have number three plug (which was regularly oiling up) replaced. He started off in pursuit of the biggest field of Group 1 led at the time by Brian Culcheth. Just when it looked as if the Irishman was about to burst in front of the big white Camaro he was traipsing into the pits again with a flat front tyre. It took just over half a minute to change it and Paddy was away again. The Mini simply scorched round the twisty track (Nogaro must have more tarmac per square foot of available space than any other circuit in Europe!) and he was soon closing in on leader Culcheth seizing the lead to cries of delight from the disbelieving crowd".

Surviving the final 150km run to Biarritz, 'OBL 45F' crossed the line in fourteenth place overall (just over ten minutes behind the Porsche 911s of G. Alexandrovitch / B. Pujos and H. Perrier / P. Justamond). The first Mini home, it also won its class. Returned to Abingdon, the old campaigner was sold to Phil Cooper of BL dealer Frank Cooper & Sons (Oulton) Ltd in August 1970 while the Competitions Department was being wound up. According to some typewritten but unsubstantiated notes on file dated 20th August 1981, the Mini Cooper S was then "used for a number of rallies including the 1970 RAC obtaining second in class and the Circuit of Ireland". Apparently rolled on the latter event, it is said to have been re-shelled using a factory supplied monocoque. A well known sight on the English Club Rally Circuit, 'OBL 45F' was subjected to further competition usage by Tom Seal. Acquired by him during November 1971, the Mini featured in the February 1973 issue of Cars and Car Conversions magazine (at which stage its eight-port cylinder head was fed by four Amal carburettors).

Shorn of its fuel-injection and special knock-off 'Minilites' etc before leaving the Works, 'OBL 45F' was rather tired by the time the Warburton family acquired it from Philip Young in 1978. Indeed, Mr Young recalls that the war weary saloon "would drink a gallon of oil on the commuter run to the station in the mornings". Reportedly the subject of a twenty-five year restoration since entering the current ownership during 1981, the Mini has been returned to an approximation of its Brands Hatch 1969 specification. While, Nick Jesty and Tony Scott both worked on the car in the mid 1980s, much of the recent fettling has been carried out by Lenham Sports Cars Ltd. Finished in red with a white roof and black upholstery, 'OBL 45F' is described by the vendor as being in "very good overall" condition. Fitted with twin Weber carburettors and allied to a four-speed straight-cut gearbox (complete with limited slip differential), its tuned 1293cc A-series engine was overhauled approximately 1,000 miles ago. As well as a sump guard and Halda instrumentation, the Mini Cooper S also comes with an eight-port cylinder head and long nose camshaft of the type that it would have employed when fuel-injected. Riding on 'Minilite' alloys, this historic ex-Works car is offered for sale with history file and MOT certificate valid until January 2009.